Anni Dewani hitman gets 25 years

Cape Town - Mziwamadoda Qwabe was jailed for 25 years on Wednesday for kidnapping and murdering Swedish honeymooner Anni Dewani.

The Western Cape High Court handed down 15 years for robbery with aggravating circumstances, five years each for kidnapping and illegal possession of a firearm, and 25 years for murder.

Judge John Hlophe said the robbery, kidnapping and firearm terms would run concurrently with the murder sentence.

Plea agreement

Qwabe earlier pleaded guilty to all charges. His lawyer Daniel Theunissen said his client had signed a plea agreement.

Qwabe, dressed in numerous jackets to ward off the cold, kept his head down during proceedings and frowned repeatedly. He used a jacket to hide his face while being led off to the cells, as photographers flocked around the dock to get a snapshot of him.

Hlophe separated the trial of Qwabe's co-accused Xolile Mngeni, who was expected to appear later on Wednesday for a pre-trial conference.

The prime suspect in the murder, Anni's husband Shrien Dewani, was still tied up in extradition proceedings in the UK.

Dewani, 32, has repeatedly denied arranging the contract killing of his 28-year-old wife, who was shot in an apparent car hijacking while they were on their honeymoon in Cape Town in November 2010.

He is being treated for depression and post-traumatic stress disorder.

At the end of July, his lawyer Claire Montgomery told the Westminster Magistrate's Court that keeping her client under medical treatment in Britain for 12 months would speed up his recovery, rather than jeopardise it by sending him to SA.

The British Press Association reported that the hearing was adjourned to September 18 for a psychiatrist to examine Dewani and give the court more information on his condition.

Only then would a decision be made on whether he was fit to stand trial in Cape Town.

Comments

Refugee - 2012-08-08 12:26

Lesson of the day: This is your a$$ now (_._), this is your a$$ in prison (_0_)..Any questions ? Just say no to crime

Pixi3kid - 2012-08-08 12:48

she was such a beautiful woman... why does these things happen?

paul.c.wadsworth - 2012-08-08 13:46

Swedish???????

sanda.mnyazi - 2012-08-08 12:27

Dewani you are next

trevor.izatt - 2012-08-08 13:37

Ja he is but in this country will get medical parol

steveroodt - 2012-08-08 12:29

What is this nonsense with all these people claiming they are to sick to go to Jail or stand up to their crimes. Being punished for your crime is meant to make you sick. That's why they call it punishment .

richard.zanner - 2012-08-08 12:41

I hope Dewani gets fried. His co-accused obviously have spilt the beans thus getting a plea bargain from the State. HE just does not want to come here coz he knows he will never leave. HE had such a beautiful wife. If he did not want her then do not marry but again that greed comes into play. He sold a life for money so he does not deserve to have a life either.

trevor.izatt - 2012-08-08 13:39

From what i hear he should enjoy being amongst men

Sapna Maraj - 2012-08-08 12:45

He's pulling a Shabeer Sheik

mmuponisim - 2012-08-08 12:49

Killing is a crime.

pisciotta - 2012-08-08 13:11

Murder is a crime. Killing sometimes is deserving. Bring back the death penalty! Put an end to this madness in SA.

lerato.motshana - 2012-08-08 12:50

Anni's family deserves closure in this matter, she died too young and in love for them to accept that she is gone, they feel like they betrayed their daughter by giving their blessings, Dewani papa vag vir jou by di Polsmor prison, hurry up, you not crazy at all but just angry that you get caught. come papa, come

vjenniker - 2012-08-08 12:56

Finally some long-overdue justice for Anni's family. Now if only the mastermind could be brought to book...perhaps in this decade!

lorrainesuh - 2012-08-08 12:56

Why do these Monsters always get sick after committing crime and not before, load of CRAP!

Deidre Ruiters - 2012-08-08 12:58

so i guess the mastermind should get double the sentence......

courtnaymurphy - 2012-08-08 12:59

If this had happened in China, the accused would never have made it back to their home country in the first place and would have been locked up to await trial for however long it took. Too sick my ass!

sizah.damon - 2012-08-08 12:59

i dont understand why judge hlophe is so hush on these young men, surely if u take plea agreement u get a reduced sentence

trevor.izatt - 2012-08-08 13:41

A life for a life ..... they should hang. In botswana they show no mercy

veritas.odium.paret - 2012-08-08 14:06

Sizah, that type of mentality must be why criminals thoughtlessly kill so many people in SA...

jason.sole.92 - 2012-08-08 14:10

was wonder the same thing, if this was the sentence what was the purpose of the plea bargain?

jean.tredoux.5 - 2012-08-08 14:27

And trevor just look at botswana, it's not the most advanced but so civilized!!!

sizah.damon - 2012-08-08 14:30

if u add all these sentences its 50 years behind bars but since he took a plea bargain his will run concurrently he's eligible for parole after 15yrs not bad, i still think he jst a young who made a serious mistake & unfortunately he's now punished for it

jean.tredoux.5 - 2012-08-08 14:52

A planned murder is not a mistake you ..., he was fully aware what he was doing and this for money!!! How the majority of black people can shrug their shoulders and show sympathy for the most horrific murders is beyond me...

Johan De Beer - 2012-08-09 19:26

Sizah.Demon I cannot believe you just said this. You want a murderer's sentence reduced? What would you have said if the victim was your sister or daughter? Only a criminal could share your opinion.

Barefoot - 2012-08-08 13:00

How to fake mental illness vol. 5

jason.sole.92 - 2012-08-08 14:11

written by shabir shaik

JASEVEN156 - 2012-08-08 13:04

WHAT IS 25 YEARS? DID ANNI WANTED TO LIVE FOR 25 YEARS AND DIE AFTER? DEATH PENALTY!!!! EYE FOR AN EYE.

jean.tredoux.5 - 2012-08-08 14:21

I agree with you but our gov knows if they implement the death penalty the white population of SA won't be the minority anymore...

JASEVEN156 - 2012-08-08 14:52

@ jEAN.Its very unfortunate that u still have that kind of thinking! This article is about crime not racial. And my comment is to curb CRIME not racism. I am sorry hey. Or ok wait a minute, u know that most African guys are pepertrators (sorry for the wrong spelling) of this kind of crime and you afraid that you will be wiped out!! kikikikiii.

jean.tredoux.5 - 2012-08-08 15:00

Well even though I'm 'dividing' again, this is still an issue and one should ask why our gov isn't implementing the death penalty when we are one of the most violent countries in the world... Cos rights for criminals is a lame excuse!

ndou.miranda - 2012-08-08 13:06

Promises are broken when pockets run dry, that's what happened Pixi. This man must just go jail, they will still give him medical attention. Kanti how does the law works?

Perfume5 - 2012-08-08 13:07

And when is Dewani being sentenced, everybody else involved in the murder, is behind bars. I hope he is not pulling a Selebi and Shady trick here.

Harold Chisimba - 2012-08-08 13:16

25yrs for murder? Anyway whatever court says.

TdJ01 - 2012-08-08 13:19

What a spineless excuse for a human this Shrien character. I guess it was quite easy and painless for him to arrange the murder of his wife, if he is innocent of this as he claims to be why not stand trail and prove it! I think we all know why.

ruben.maistry - 2012-08-08 13:57

Hey spearman, who gives this moron the right to murder and you have the audacity to defend against the death penalty.You talk about the feelings of people in death row and the pain of their kin.What about innocent and defenseless Anni's feelings while she was being murdered and that of her kin.

jean.tredoux.5 - 2012-08-08 13:59

This is not justice, the fear that woman must have gone through... Horrifying!!

Vic - 2012-08-08 14:00

S.A's justice should consider changing some laws. For example (as death penalty is no longer in place). It should be - any person found guilty of murder or any crime equivalent to that, gets no less than 50 years in jail without any kind of parole. Not even medical (critically ill) parole.

Gerald Jordaan - 2012-08-08 14:04

Shrien you sh*t..you're next !! Big man until you got fingered..stop hiding behind your shyster lawyer and come face the music !!

Victoria - 2012-08-08 14:16

You know baffles me the most is, is why we and the law have to respect the rights and dignity of human-being who did not once consider the rights and dignity of the person they committed a crime against.
If you dont respect the rights of others then why on earth should they have rights?
What makes me angry is that his "health condition" is just a symptom of his guilt!

tony.naidoo - 2012-08-08 14:19

Come back, Shrien. Believe you like boys? The fellas in Polsmoor have laid out a red carpet for you!

chrisalexandre - 2012-08-08 14:21

Test

anele.mveku - 2012-08-08 14:36

The only disorder Shrien is suffering from is his conscious getting to him,well if he stl has one considering wht he dd.

bmaestro - 2012-08-08 17:08

justice has been served

thulane.elias.1 - 2012-08-08 17:24

Dats still nuthing coz de bastard is still going to survive on our hard worked earnings.he pleaded guilty he wz supposed to be killed.an eye for an eye.25yeas is nuthing